Beverage container



1957 R. T. CORNELIUS I BEVERAGE CONTAINER Filed Sept. 16, 1965 INVENTOR. 8/0/4 20 7 Caz/v54 ms 49% %.,.m., 71 d, v 'ymmm United States Patent M 3,349,955 BEVERAGE CONTAINER Richard T. Cornelius, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to The Cornelius-Company, Anoka, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Sept. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 487,715 9 Claims. (Cl. 220-902) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The illustrated embodiment comprises an apertured This invention relates to a beverage container assembly and to an end closure subassembly to be secured to a container body. The invention also pertains to a method of forming such a beverage container assembly and such an end closure subasembly.

Currently the merchandising of beverages in metal cans is widespread. For example, carbonated beverages are available in metal cans from coin operated vending machines at filling stations and similar widely scattered points. Such vending machines may be provided with an opening device which punches a single elongated opening or two widely spaced smaller size openings in the top of the can. It is apparently impractical to maintain a supply of paper cups or the like at such locations so that most commonly the purchased has only the option of drinking the beverage directly from the can. Such a situation is often less than satisfactory from a sanitation standpoint since the can may be stored under unsanitary conditions for a substantial time prior to loading thereof into the vending machine. At the very least such cans are exposed to dust and grime as so stored, and in some instances domestic animals may have access to such storage locations to provide even greater health hazards.

Since there is a tendency for more and more children of a relatively young age to have spending money for the purchase of soft drinks, the concept that the purchaser may with full knowledge of the circumstances accept any risk involved in such consumption of soft drinks is becoming less valid, and the need for improvement correspondingly is more urgent.

A manually opened can, where the metal of the can top is weakened along tear lines and a tab is secured to the weakened region, has a limited advantage from the sanitation standpoint since portions of the can top are not pressed downwardly into contact with the contents of the can during the opening of the can. Nevertheless the manually opened can presents the same essential sanitary and aesthetic problems where the contents are to be consumed by touching the can with the lips or pouring from the can. Each time such a can is tipped to drink therefrom, a certain amount of the contents will fiow in the grooved region about the perimeter of the top and this flowing liquid inevitably tends to collect any foreign matter located in such region.

The manually opened can presents further problems. Certain popular cans employ a structure which can be described as a hollow rivet for the pulling tab, which, on being staked, damages the protective undercoating. Also since the removable part of the can top represents a substantial portion of the total cross sectional area of the can, various reinforcing ribs and the like are provided 3,349,955 Patented Oct. 31, 1967 in an attempt to prevent inadvertent opening of the cans during rough handling. These reinforcing ribsv add to tooling cost and tend to give rise to damage to the protective enamel layer or precoating which is previously applied to the material of the end closure for the can.

According to the present invention a beverage consumption or withdrawing means is sealed in the can at the time the can is filled, so that such means is maintained in a sanitary condition and becomes available to the individual purchaser when the can is opened. Preferably the can is made for hand opening and preferably the beverage consumption or Withdrawing means comprises a drinking straw or tube of permanently resilient material which moves automatically to an operative position as the can is opened manually.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a can for soft drinks and the like wherein a sanitary means for consuming the contents of the can is assembled with the can and sealed therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a can for soft drinks and the like which may be manually opened so as to avoid any necessity for puncturing of the can with a tool and wherein a drinking straw automatically moves to a drinking position as the can is manually opened.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an end closure for a soft drink can which closure accommodates a sealed-in beverage consuming means and yet is not subjected (inwardly of its outer perimeter) to substantial drawing or other metal distorting operations in its manufacture so as to ensure that any original precoating material of the end closure will remain completely effective, the end closure being capable of economical mass production and being of sufficient strength when secured to a can body to withstand rough handling during shipment.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a method of assembling a soft drink can or the like having a sealed-in drink consumting means and a method of assembling an end closure sub-assembly for such a can which may be implemented by high speed machinery.

Another and further object of the invention resides in the provision of an end closure for soft drink cans and the like providing a sealed-in beverage drinking means which closure lends itself to completely automatic high speed mass production methods.

Still another and further object of the invention resides in the provision of a soft drink can having a sealedin drinking straw which exhibits a novel and appealing emergence just when the can is opened, in addition to its sanitation and aesthetic advantages, so as to encourage and promote sale of soft drinks in cans having this healthful feature, particularly among children.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying drawing sheet in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a beverage container assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1; and

'FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing details of construction of the end closure subassembly of the present invention and which forms part of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown on the drawing:

The principles of the present invention are particularly useful when embodied in an individual size soft drink 3 can assembly such as illustrated in FIG. 1 and generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The assembly comprises a can body 11 and an end closure subassembly 12 which is secured to the upper end of the can body 11.

The can body 11 comprises a cylindrical side wall 13 and a bottom wall 14 defining a beverage-containing chamber 15. In a typical can body configuration the bottom wall 14 is integral with the cylindrical side wall 13 of the can body. FIG. 1 shows a can body construc tion wherein the body is of aluminum which is formed by a drawing operation. The thickness of the walls has been exaggerated somewhat in FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration. The interior metallic surfaces of the can body are normally provided with a protective layer coating or treatment such as diagrammatically indicated at 13a and 14a in FIG. 1 after the drawing of the aluminum to form the can body configuration. This layer prevents undesirable interaction between the metal of the can body and the beverage within the chamber 15. The upper end 16 of the can body may be of annular configuration and may include a flange part 17 which is interlocked with the outer perimeter of the end closure subassembly 12 after the chamber is filled.

The end closure subassembly 12 comprises a fixed closure part 21 which is of sheet metal configuration and typically is formed of aluminum or steel. Its outer pen'meter 22 is interlocked with the upper end 16 of the can body and includes a downturned portion 22a and an upwardly extending free edge portion 22b which is located inwardly of the can body flange 17. The configuration of the outer perimeter 22 of the fixed closure part 21 prior to being interlocked with the upper end of the can body is shown in FIG. 3. The horizontally extending portion 22a in FIG. 3 corresponds substantially to the portion 22a in FIG. 1, while the portion 22b in FIG. 3 corresponds to the portion 22b in the completed assembly. The construction further comprises an annular groove portion 23 inwardly of the outer perimeter portion 22. The entire inner surface of the metal of the fixed closure part 21 is provided with a protective precoat or treatment as indicated at 24 which may be of the same material or nature as the coatings 13a and 14a. The groove 23 may be of a depth and curvature to avoid damage to this protective layer 24 and there is a substantially continuous protective coating over the entire interior surface of the metal parts defining the beverage-containing chamber 15. A sealant material (not shown) is interposed between the mating surfaces of the outer perimeter 22 of the end closure and the upper end 16 of the can body, this being conventional in the art.

Inwardly of the grooved portion 23, the fixed closure part 21 preferably has a fiat sheet annular portion 26 with an aperture therethrough defined by an inner free edge 27. In the illustrated embodiment, the annular portion 26 is entirely of a planar configuration except for an annular reinforcing groove 28 adjacent the inner free edge 27. The aperture in the fixed closure part 21 may be formed by a punching operation which will not disturb the protective coating 24 adjacent to the free edge 27. Similarly, the reinforcing groove portion 28 is of a shallow configuration and may be formed without any danger of disrupting the protective coating at this location.

In the preferred construction illustrated the aperture in the fixed closure part 21 is adapted to be sealed by a removable closure part 30. In order to facilitate assembly of the removable closure part 30 with the fixed closure part 21 by means of machinery, the removable closure part 30 is preferably formed in two separate pieces, a grommet 31 and a plug 32.

The grommet 31 is preferably of a soft resilient material such as a soft or elastomeric vinyl plastic. Preferably the material itself is sufiiciently inert so as to be completely compatible with the contents of the chamber 15 and is of elastic properties such as to securely seal against the edge 27 of the fixed closure part and so as to be securely held in assembly with the fixed closure part in spite of any possible rough handling of the can assembly 10. The grommet 31 includes a fiat annular part 31a whose undersurface rests in fiatwise conforming contact with the fixed closure part upper surface adjacent free edge 27. The grommet 31 further includes an axially depending portion 3112 having a normal or free configuration as indicated by the dot dash line 310' and an actual distorted configuration as indicated at 310 at its interior face and having a radial enlargement as indicated at 31d for interlocking engagement with the fixed closure part at the inner side of the free edge 27. The portion 31b is of such a normal or free configuration that the grommet 31 may be snapped into assembled relation to the fixed closure part by means of machinery.

The plug 32 is preferably of a stiffer plastic material than the grommet 31 for example nylon or polypropylene. Alternatively, the plug 32 may be of an even stiffer material such as Delrin. The exterior configuration of the plug 32 is such that it may be forced into the aperture of the grommet 31 and will deform the face 310' of the grommet to the configuration indicated at 310 in H6. 3. The plug 32 is of a configuration so as to be securely fixed to the grommet 31 to cause the pieces 31 and 32 to function as a single unit in the opening of the can assembly.

Preferably to facilitate manual removal of the closure part 30, the grommet 31 is provided with an integral tab or handle 33 which may be of an open ring configuration as best seen in FIG. 2. The tab 33 may have a normal configuration relative to the body part 31a as indicated by the dot dash line 33 in FIG. 3 so as to be resiliently biased against the upper surface of the fixed closure part 21. The preferred circular cross section of the ring portion 33a of the tab facilitates manual engagement with the ring portion. The removable closure part 30 may be conveniently disengaged from the fixed closure part 31 by lifting the ring portion 33a upwardly and to the left as viewed in FIG. 3 so as to tend to pivot the removable closure part 30 about a fulcrum point such as generally indicated at 36 in FIGS. 2 and 3. By this means, the portion 31b of the grommet 31 will be progressively deformed beginning at the region indicated by the reference numeral 37 closest to the handle 33, The result is that while the removable closure part is very securely sealed to the fixed closure part against any inadvertent dislocation, only a relatively light manual force applied to the handle part 33 is effective to remove the closure part 30 when it is desired to open the can assembly.

As best seen in FIG. 3, in the assembled relationship of the grommet 31 and plug 32 the upper surfaces of the grommet and plug are substantially flush, and as seen in FIG. 1, the upper surfaces of the grommet and plug are located substantially below the upper end of the can assembly. The plug 32 like the grommet 31 is preferably itself of an insert material which will not interact with the contents of the chamber 15.

I The plug 32 is provided with a depending tubular portion 40 having an interior substantially cylindrical bore 41 for the purpose of retaining and guiding a drinking straw 42 of resilient material. As seen in FIG. 1, the straw 42 is preferably confined within the chamber 15 with its upper end 42a telescoping into the bore 41 of the tubular portion 40 of plug 32. Preferably the drinking straw 42 has a straight configuration when unconstrained with a length substantially greater than the distance from the aperture in the fixed closure part 21 to the most remote part of the chamber 15 so that when the can is opened the straw will assume a projecting, operative or drinking position with the upper end 42a thereof above and clear of the upper surface of the annular region 26 of the fixed closure part 21. Such a preferred drinking position for the straw 42 is indicated by the dot dash lines 42' in FIG. 1, the upper end of the straw being indicated at 42a.

Referring to the operative position of the straw shown at 42 in FIG. 1, the lower end of the straw is disposed at the outer perimeter of the bottom wall 14 so as to be at a maximum distance from the aperture in the fixed closure part 21. Even with such a position of the lower end of the straw, the upper end of the straw preferably projects to a point substantially above the end closure 12 so that the nose and other regions of the users face will be clear of the can assembly while the user of the straw is drinking the entire contents of the chamber 15. The length of the straw projecting above the fixed closure part 21 should be at least about one inch for this purpose.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment the removable closure part 30 is so constructed as to guide the upper end of the straw through the aperture in the fixed closure part 21 as the removable closure part 30 is disengaged, with the removable closure part 30 further being automatically disengaged from the upper end of the straw during the final removal of the part 30 from the fixed part 21. Specifically, the upper end of the straw is not disengaged from the tubular portion 40 of the plug 32 until the upper end of the straw has been guided above the level of the free edge 27 of the fixed closure part defining the aperture therethrough. Further, the removable closure part 30 is preferably automatically disengaged from the fixed closure part by an angular movement about the fulcrum indicated at 36 which overcomes the light frictional engagement which may be provided between the V tubular portion 40 and the upper end 42a of the straw 42.

The straw 42 is preferably of a springy material that will not take a set and which exhibits no significant decomposition in water or in a beverage. Further the material of the straw should be odorless and tasteless. All these physical properties are exhibited by polyethylene, for example.

In the preferred illustrated embodiment, the diameter of the aperture defined by edge 27 of the fixed closure part 21 is substantially less than twice the diameter of the straw 42. This is significant in terms of cost of material and strength of the end closure assembly as well as facilitating the consumption of the contents of the container by means of straw 42 (for example, a small aperture tends to reduce the possibility of spillage when the contents are being consumed in a moving vehicle or the like). The size of the aperture is such as to require a minimum of reinforcement as at 28 and the reinforcement may be of such a character that there is no danger of damage to the preooat or protective lining 24 of the end closure 12. It will be observed, further, that the length of the bore 41 at least approximates the diameter of the straw received therein so as to provide a reliable retention of the upper end of the straw during shipment of the can assembly and in spite of any possible rough handling or the like. The volume of the chamber is such as to contain what may be termed an individual size serving of a soft drink or the like, such chambers commonly containing twelve fluid ounces.

In assembly of the preferred construction, the fixed closure part 21 may be secured to the container body 11 prior to the assembly of the grommet 31 in the aperture of the fixed closure part, or the grommet 31 may be preassembled with the fixed closure part 21 prior to securing the closure part perimeter 22 to the can body '11. Thereafter, the straw 42 may be assembled with the plug 32 with the upper end of the straw telescoping within the bore 41 of tubular portion 40 and preferably having a suificient frictional engagement with the tubular portion 40 to support the weight of the straw 42. In this way, the plug 32 and straw 42 may be assembled as a unit in the aperture of grommet 31 with the use of machinery after the grommet and fixed closure part are secured to the can body.

It will be noted that while a slight interference in dimensions between the outside diameter of the straw and the diameter of bore 41 facilitates machine assembly of the straw with the other parts, the parts may also be assembled by machinery which supports the straw with the tubular portion 40 telescoped over the upper end of the straw as the straw is lowered into the filled can body. The straw supporting means may be released and the plug forced into the aperture in the grommet to complete the assembly. Once the straw is placed in a confined configuration as shown in FIGURE 1, the resilience of the straw will serve to hold the upper end of the straw in the bore 41 even though there is a substantial clearance between the interfitting surfaces of the straw and tubular retaining and guiding portion 40.

While in accordance with the requirements of the patent statute I have specifically illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having a bottom wall and a substantially cylindrical side wall providing a substantially cylindrical interior beverage-containing chamber and having an annular upper end;

(b) an end closure closing said upper end of said container body for sealing said beverage-containing chamber and having straw-retaining means, said end closure comprising a fixed closure part of sheet configuration fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and overlying a major portion of the cross section of said chamber, and a removable closure part detachably secured to said fixed closure part and having manually engageable means for direct manual engagement and operable in response to a manual force directly applied thereto to detach said removable closure part from said fixed closure part; and

(c) a drinking straw of permanently resilient material disposed in said chamber in a constrained condi tion while being urged by virtue of its resilience toward a predetermined unconstrained condition, an upper end of said straw being retained by said means, and as retained being urged by virtue of its resilience toward said removable closure part, said upper end of said straw being automatically movable to a position above and clear of said fixed closure part as said removable closure part is removed from said fixed closure part,

((1) said straw-retaining means comprising a retaining element connected with said removable closure part and removable from the fixed closure part jointly with said removable closure part, said retaining element being disposed in telescopically interfitting relationship with the tip of the upper end of said straw, and the drinking straw being of length in the unconstrained condition thereof substantially greater than the distance from the retaining element to the most remote part of the chamber, the straw by virtue of its length being held in said telescopically interfitting relationship with said retaining element and being free to assume said predetermined unconstrained condition automatically in response to manipulation of said manually engageable means in removing said closure part and retaining element from said fixed closure part.

2. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having bottom and side walls providing an interior beverage-containing chamber and having an upper end;

(b) an end closure closing said upper end of said container body for sealing said beverage-containing chamber, said end closure comprising a fixed closure part of sheet metal construction fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and including an annular free edge portion defining an aperture in said fixed closure part which aperture occupies a minor portion of the cross section of said end closure, said end closure further comprising a member of resilient material disposed in sealing relation to said free edge portion of said fixed closure part at said aperture therein, said member having an integral manually engageable means extending therefrom and disposed for direct manual engagement in removing said member from said aperture;

(c) drinking tube means having an upper end movable automatically through said aperture to an accessible position above and clear of said fixed closure part in response to detachment of said member from said fixed closure part; and

(d) means for sealing said drinking tube means in said chamber and for guiding said upper end of said drinking tube means to said accessible position as said member is removed from said fixed closure part,

(c) said member of resilient material having a downwardly directed drinking tube retaining element below the level of said aperture and telescopically interfitting with the tip of the upper end of the drinking tube means, said drinking tube means being of resilient material and being confined in said beveragecontaining chamber with its lower end engaging said bottom wall and retaining the drinking tube means in a distorted configuration which is more compact than an unconfined configuration toward which the tube means is urged by virtue of its own resiliency, said tube means being of length in said unconfined configuration substantially greater than the distance from the retaining element to the most remote part of said bottom wall, the resiliency of the tube means in conjunction with its length serving to hold the tip of the upper end of the tube means in telescopically interfitting relation with said retaining element without any other connection between the container and the tube means, and the retaining element being automatically removed from the chamber and automatically disengaged from the tube means in response to removal of the member of resilient material from the aperture by manipulation of said integral manually engageable means.

3. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having bottom and side walls providing an interior beveragecontaining chamber and having an upper end;

(b) an end closure closing said upper end of said container body for sealing said beverage-containing chamber, said end closure comprising a fixed closure part fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and a removable closure part detachably secured to said fixed closure part and disengageable from said fixed closure part by means of a manual force applied by direct manual engagement with said removable closure part;

(c) a drinking straw of resilient material disposed in said chamber in a constrained condition while being urged by virtue of its resilience toward a predetermined unconstrained configuration, said upper end of said straw being automatically movable to an accessible position above and clear of said fixed closure part as said removable closure part is manually removed from said fixed closure part; and

(d) straw retaining and guiding means secured to said removable closure part and retaining said drinking straw in said chamber in said constrained condition, said means serving to guide said upper end of said straw to said accessible position as said removable closure part is removed from said fixed closure part,

(e) said straw retaining and guiding means being removable from said cover jointly with said manually removable closure part and engaging the tip only of the upper end of the drinking straw so as to guide the straw to said accessible position without any contact of the tip of the straw with the fixed closure part as the removable closure part is manually disengaged therefrom, the straw having a length in'its unconstrained configuration substantially greater than the distance from the straw retaining and guiding means to the most remote part of the chamber and being held in engagement with said means by virtue of such length and the engagement of the lower end of the straw with said bottom wall while being automatically disengaged from said means in response to manual removal of the removable closure part.

4. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having bottom and side walls providing an interior beverage-containing chamber and having an upper end;

(b) an end closure closing said upper end of said container body for sealing said beverage-containing chamber, said end closure comprising a fixed closure part fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and a removable closure part detachably secured to said fixed closure part and disengageable from said fixed closure part by means of a manual force applied by direct manual engagement with said removable closure part;

(c) a drinking straw of resilient material disposed in said chamber in a constrained condition while being urged by virtue of its resilience toward a predetermined unconstrained configuration, said upper end of said straw being automatically movable to an accessible position above and clear of said fixed closure part as said removable closure part is manually removed from said fixed closure part; and

(d) straw retaining and guiding means secured to said removable closure part and retaining said drinking straw in said chamber in said constrained condition, said means serving to guide said upper end of said straw to said accessible position as said removable closure part is removed from said fixed closure part, said straw guiding and retaining means comprising a depending tubular section located centrally with respect to said removable closure part and telescoping over the upper end of said straw to releasably retain said upper end of said straw,

(e) said drinking straw having a length in its unconstrained configuration substantially greater than the distance from the depending tubular section to the most remote part of the chamber, the resiliency of the straw in conjunction with its length and the engagement of the lower end thereof with said bottom wall being operative to hold the tip of the upper end of the straw in telescoping relation within said depending tu'bular section, and the tubular section being completely removed from the fixed closure part jointly with the removable closure part and being automatically disengaged from the straw in response to manual removal of the removable closure part.

5. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having bottom and side walls providing an interior beverage-containing chamber and having an upper end;

(b) a fixed end closure part fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and having an aperture therein;

(c) a grommet of resilient material detachably secured to said fixed closure part at said aperture and having an integral handle extending therefrom for direct manual engagement in detaching said grommet from said fixed closure part, said grommet having a central aperture therethrough;

(d) a plug disposed in said central aperture of said grommet and secured to said grommet for conjoint displacement therewith when said grommet is deiached from said fixed closure part, said plug having a tubular guide depending therefrom into said chamber; and

(e) a drinking straw of permanently resilient material disposed in said chamber in a constrained condition with its upper end extending into said tubular guide, said upper end of said straw being automatically movable to an accessible position above and clear of said fixed closure part as said grommet and plug are removed therefrom.

6. A beverage container comprising:

(a) a hollow container body having bottom and side walls providing an interior beverage-containing chamber and having an upper end;

(b) a fixed end closure part fixedly secured to said upper end of said container body and having an aperture therein;

() a grommet of resilient material detachably secured to said fixed closure part at said aperture and having an integral handle extending therefrom for direct manual engagement in detaching said grommet from said fixed closure part, said grommet having a central aperture therethrough;

(d) a' plug disposed in said central aperture of said grommet and secured to said grommet for conjoint displacement therewith when said grommet is detached from said fixed closure part, said plug having a tubular guide depending therefrom into said chamber; and

(e) a drinking straw of permanently resilient material disposed in said chamber in a constrained condition with its upper end extending in said tubular guide, said upper end of said straw being automatically movable to an accessible position above and clear of said fixed closure part as said grommet and plug are removed therefrom, said upper end of said straw having sufiicient frictional engagement with said tubular guide to enable support of said straw by said guide during conjoint translational movement, but said straw being automatically releasable from said guide in response to angular movement of said grommet as said grommet is manually detached from said fixed closure part.

7. Container closure means comprising in combination:

(a) an apertured cover having means for attachment thereof to the container;

(b) a grommet of resilient material detachably secured to said cover at said aperture therein and having a central aperture therethrough;

(c) said grommet having an integral handle disposed for direct manual engagement in detaching the grommet from said cover; and

(d) a plug in said central aperture of said grommet and secured therewith for conjoint displacement as the grommet is manually removed from said cover, said plug having a tubular guide depending therefrom for receiving and retaining an upper end of a resilient straw which is to be confined in the container by said closure means.

8. Container closure means comprising in combination:

(a) an apertured cover having means for attachment thereof to the container;

(b) a manually removable grommet normally sealing the edge of the aperture in said cover and itself having a central aperture;

(0) a plug secured in the central aperture of said grommet and secured to said grommet for removal from said cover therewith;

(d) said plug having a tubular guide depending therefrom; and

(e) a drinking straw of permanently resilient material having its upper end extending into said tubular guide and having suflicient frictional interengagement with said guide to support the weight of said straw during conjoint displacement of the plug and straw, said straw being disengageable from said guide in response to angular movement of said grommet during manual disengagement of the grommet from the aperture in the cover whereby the closure means is adapted to confine the straw in a compressed condition within a container with the upper end of the straw automatically moving to an accessible position above and clear of said cover as said grommet and plug are removed from the aperture in said cover,

(f) said grommet being of deformable material at the interior side of the aperture and being removable in response to a manual force acting to pull the deformable material through the aperture to the exterior side thereof, and the plug and tubular guide being automatically removed from the aperture with the grommet and automatically disengaged from the straw.

9. Container closure means for a container body of predetermined size comprising in combination:

(a) an apertured cover having means for attachment thereof to the container body;

(b) a manually removable closure part normally in sealing relation to the aperture in said cover, said closure part including straw-retaining and guiding means extending through said aperture; and

(c) a drinking straw of resilient material having the tip of its upper end retained by said means,

(d) said cover having an outer peripheral edge defining a top level of said cover and having an apertured cover portion lying generally in a plane offset downwardly from the top level of the cover, said manually removable closure part when in sealing relation to the aperture in said cover portion lying entirely below the top level of said cover, said straw guiding and retaining means comprising a retaining element depending below the general plane of the aperture in the cover portion and telescopically interfitting with the tip of the upper end of the drinking straw, and said straw having a length in its straight configuration exceeding the distance from the retaining element to the most remote part of the container body so that the straw will be held in telescoping interfitting relation to the retaining element after assembly of the cover with the container body by virtue of the length of the straw and its engagement with the bottom of the container body, and said removable closure part together with said retaining element being automatically disengaged from the straw as the closure part is manually completely removed from the cover portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,962,883 6/1934 Tate et a1. 215-1 3,215,329 11/1965 Pugh 2297 3,263,855 8/1966 Pugh 220-902 3,268,792 8/1966 Barmherzig 220*.2

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

Q RAPHAEL H, SCHWARTZ, Examiner. 

1. A BEVERAGE CONTAINER COMPRISING: (A) A HOLLOW CONTAINER BODY HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL PROVIDING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL INTERIOR BEVERAGE-CONTAINING CHAMBER AND HAVING AN ANNULAR UPPER END; (B) AN END CLOSURE CLOSING SAID UPPER END OF SAID CONTAINER BODY FOR SEALING SAID BEVERAGE-CONTAINING CHAMBER AND HAVING STRAW-RETAINING MEANS, SAID END CLOSURE COMPRISING A FIXED CLOSURE PART OF SHEET CONFIGURATION FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID UPPER END OF SAID CONTAINER BODY AND OVERLYING A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CROSS SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER, AND A REMOVABLE CLOSURE PART DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID FIXED CLOSURE PART AND HAVING MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE MEANS FOR DIRECT MANUAL ENGAGEMENT AND OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO A MANUAL FORCE DIRECTLY APPLIED THERETO TO DETACH SAID REMOVABLE CLOSURE PART FROM SAID FIXED CLOSURE PART; AND (C) A DRINKING STRAW OF PERMANENTLY RESILIENT MATERIAL DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER IN A CONSTRAINED CONDITION WHILE BEING URGED BY VIRTUE OF ITS RESILIENCE TOWARD A PREDETERMINED UNCONSTRAINED CONDITION, AN UPPER END OF SAID STRAW BEING RETAINED BY SAID MEANS, AND AS RETAINED BEING URGED BY VIRTUE OF ITS RESILIENCE TOWARD SAID REMOVABLE CLOSURE PART, SAID UPPER END OF SAID STRAW BEING AUTOMATICALLY MOVABLE TO A POSITION ABOVE AND CLEAR OF SAID FIXED CLOSURE PART AS SAID REMOVABLE CLOSURE PART IS REMOVED FROM SAID FIXED CLOSURE PART, 